Electrode assembly



May 6, 1958 D.- MIELKE ELECTRODE ASSEMBLY Filed Feb. 15, 1956 hz Em far DoRo 1w r 44/51. KE

zlv /lll United bitates Patent M ELECTRGDE ASSEMBLY Dorothy Mielke, lndianapolis, Incl.

Application February 15, 1956, Serial No. 565,635

1 Claim. c1. 204 2ss A The present invention is concerned with improvements in electrode structures of the type employed in various electrochemical operations.

In a typical electrochemical reaction employing a depleteable electrode, the electrode is normally held suspended in the electrolyte by means of a hook which is detachably secured to the body of the electrode. The hook engages a bus bar and thereby provides electrical connection between the electrode and a suitable source of power.

As the electrode becomes depleted, either by the attack by the particular electrolyte involved, or by electrochemical reaction, there is a possibility of attacking the joint between the hook and the body of the electrode. In some instances, the formation of oxides at the joint renders it very diflicult to remove the depleted electrode from the hook. In other cases, the attack may be so severe as to damage the metal of the hook, necessitating a replacement. Accordingly, it has been common practice to avoid any possibility of damaging the supporting structure by terminating the use of the electrode while there is still considerable metal in the electrode.' This procedure, of course, is wasteful because it reduces the effective life of the electrode, and results in a larger waste of material.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved electrode assembly with means for protecting the union between the electrode and its supporting structure.

Another object of the invention is to provide an electrode structure with a detachable hook assembly, and to protect the union between the two by means of an improved sealing member.

Another object of the invention is to provide a protector for electrodes which permits longer usage of the electrode structure and consequently less waste.

Other objects and features of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the attached sheet of drawings which illustrate one embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure l is an exploded view of the components of the electrode assembly;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary, cross-sectional view of the components after assembly; and

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but illustrating the condition of the elements after considerable depletion of the electrode body.

As shown in the drawings:

In Figure 1, reference numeral indicates generally an elongated metal electrode which is depleteable by the action of the electrolyte in which the electrode body 2,833,710 Patented May 6, 1958 is arranged to be immersed. Supporting the electrode 10 is a support structure 11 which includes a hook portion 12 and a threaded shank portion 13. The latter is arranged to be received in threaded engagement with an internally threaded socket 14 on the electrode 10. To protect the union between the electrode 10 and the support structure 11, the assembly is provided with an elastic protector 16 composed of rubber or rubberlike material which is resistant to the action of the electrolyte. The protector 16 has a generally tubular portion 17 arranged to engage tightly the threaded shank 13 on the support structure. The protector 16 also includes a highly elastic skirt portion 18 which, in its relaxed condition illustrated in Figure 1, has a periphery of substantially less than the periphery of the electrode 10 which it engages. As best seen in Figure 2, the skirt portion (which is defined by a laterally extending roof portion and a depending peripheral portion) 18 has a uniform wall thickness substantially less than the thickness of the wall of the tubular portion 17, for added flexibility.

In assembling the electrode structure, the tubular portion 17 is slipped over the threaded shank portion 13 of the electrode, and the skirt portion 18 is stretched a suflicient amount to be received over the top of the electrode 10, as illustrated in Figure 2. The skirt portion 18 is thus under considerable tension and thereby provides an effective seal of the electrode end and the junction between the electrode and the support structure 11 against the corrosive action of the electrolyte.

As the electrode becomes more and more depleted by the action of the electrolyte, the protector 16 prevents corrosive attack at the top of the electrode and the union between the electrode and the support structure. When the depletion of the electrode 10 has continued until the metal enclosed within the skirt portion 18 begins to be depleted, as illustrated in Figure 3 of the drawings, the natural resilience of the skirt portion 18 causes the skirt portion 18 to be drawn inwardly as indicated at numeral 18a and serves to protect much of the remainder of the electrode from further attack by the electrolyte. Atthis point, the electrode may be disengaged from the support structure 11 and a new electrode put in operation. From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the electrode structure of the present invention provides a convenient means for preventing extensive depletion from the electrode structure, particularly at the union between the electrode and its supporting. structure while still permitting the electrode to be used for longer periods of time than were heretofore considered practical.

It will also be evident that various modifications can be made to the described embodiment without departing from the scope of the present invention.

I claim as my invention:

.An electrode structure comprising an elongated electrode body, a support hook detachably secured at one end of said body, an elastic sleeve tightly engaging a portion of said hook, said sleeve having a skirt portion defined by a laterally extending portion with a depending peripheral portion tightly engaging the upper end of said electrode, the wall thickness of the entire skirt portion being uniform and substantially less than the wall thickness of the remainder of said sleeve.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 665,599 Great Britain Ian. 23, 1952 

